The present invention relates to graphical user interfaces for computers and more particularly, to a graphical user interface in which a cursor is directed to an activatable icon or hyperlink when a control or mouse button is clicked.
Graphical user interfaces for computers such as Microsoft Windows software and Internet browser software such as Netscape Navigator are based on the use of program or function icons or hyperlinks and point and click action of a cursor pointing device such as a mouse or trackball. Typically, hot or active regions of such hyperlinks (i.e., those regions that trigger an action when "clicked" by a mouse key, or that cause control to be transferred to a different hypertext document) are limited in geographic scope such that a user must position a cursor with relative precision upon the hyperlink in order to insure that clicking the appropriate button of the cursor pointing device will activate the hyperlink. If the user clicks on the screen outside of the geographic range of the hyperlink, nothing occurs.
In that case, the user must reposition the cursor using the cursor pointing device. In many instances, this can be a source of frustration for the user because the user generally does not click a cursor pointing device's select button unless he wishes to activate some function associated with it. Moreover, cursor pointing devices such as the "eraser head" stick-type pointer device for laptop computers and touch-pad pointing devices are not necessarily easy to control with the requisite precision. Accordingly, the act of positioning the cursor pointing device within the geographic range of a hyperlink can be a source of frustration and wasted time.
Certain applications programs permit users to click on an area surrounding an icon or hyperlink in order to select the desired action. However, such programs are relatively rigid in that the area is defined by the application programmer. Moreover, by defining larger and larger geographical regions surrounding hyperlinks, the number of such hyperlinks permitted per page is limited.
Accordingly, there is a need for a graphical user interface in which a user can click on a region relatively remote from a hyperlink and still cause activation of the function defined by the hyperlink and which does not require undue amounts of programmer or user attention.